1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a home network, and in particular to an apparatus and a method for displaying a position of an apparatus connected to a home network.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Recently, according to development of information technology, various home network appliances such as a mobile phone, a digital television, an air conditioner, a refrigerator, a PDA (personal digital assistants), a video game device, etc. besides a PC (personal computer) have been connected to a home network, and accordingly a home network technology has been developed.
The home network technology is for connecting home network appliances connected to a home network inside home with one topology, making the home network appliances own digital data thereof commonly and making them perform broadband communication. In a narrow sense, the home network technology means wire and wireless network apparatus themselves, in a broad sense, the home network technology includes not only the apparatus but also a middleware for integrating/controlling/operating home network appliances mutually or a service, etc. Hereinafter, a construction of the home network will be described with reference to accompanying FIG. 1.
FIG. 1 is a block diagram illustrating a construction of a general home network.
As depicted in FIG. 1, the general home network includes home network appliances; and a home network control appliance for controlling the home network appliances, herein, the home network appliances and the control apparatus are connected by one topology. The home network appliance is connected to an ISP (Internet service provider) through a gateway so as to receive several Internet services.
Operation processes of the home network appliances in the home network will be described with reference to accompanying FIG. 2A.
FIG. 2A illustrates operation processes between the home network appliances in the general home network.
First, a DHCP (dynamic host configuration protocol) server allocates an IP (Internet protocol) address to each home network appliance and the control apparatus.
Each home network appliance multicasts UUID (universally unique identifier) data and an URL (uniform resource locator) for indicating a data position at which apparatus information thereof is stored to the control apparatus by using the allocated IP address thereof. Herein, the control apparatus recognizes each home network appliance and requests data indicated by the URL.
According to the request of the control apparatus, the home network appliance transmits a description file having detailed various apparatus information and service information to the control apparatus.
The control apparatus controls and operates the home network appliance connected thereto through the transmitted description file. Herein, the description file is basically provided as a XML (extensible markup language) spec.
FIG. 2B shows a screen of a home network control appliance displaying pertinent graphic objects of the home network appliances. Herein, the home network control appliance means a DTV (digital television) controllable the home network. In more detail, the DTV displays icons corresponded to the home network appliances connected to the home network on the screen.
However, as depicted in FIG. 2B, because the same type of the home network appliances (air conditioner) are displayed as the same icons, it might be difficult for a user to distinguish which icon is corresponded to the home network appliance to be controlled. In more detail, when icons corresponded to plural air conditioners as the home network appliances are displayed on the screen of the DTV as the home network control appliance, because the plural air conditioners are displayed as the same icons, it might be difficult for the user to distinguish which icon (graphic object) is corresponded to the air conditioner to be controlled.